7. John Ward (1917-2007)

Image information

Exhibited

Royal Academy, 1979, no. 23

Literature

John Ward, The Paintings of John Ward, David & Charles, London, 1991, p. 55.

Information

This painting of Ward's model Stephanie was the first instance of the artist including himself in a composition. 'The girdle', he wrote,'came from Rome, an extravagant length of beautiful ribbon in those glorious Italian national colours'.

Ward met Stephanie 'when she was a student at Canterbury College of Art. She came into the print room where I was trying to make an etching and I was immediately struck by her looks, and with a little persuasion she came and sat for me. I don't think she was ever particularly interested in what I did, but she found sitting easy, and the more I painted her the more wonderful a subject she became'.